gratiTUBE: Kahan hain Gandhi?

Where is Gandhi? Do we look for him in history or in present? Is he just one person who lived or does he live in every one of us?

Nipun bhai says “Instead of having that one Gandhi, maybe we have many distributed, disinter-mediated Gandhi’s. What would that look like?”

And I believe this. Gandhi lives in all of us; through our small acts. Recently a friend shared this video where an elderly gentleman is looking for Gandhi and how he finds him – in everyone!

I was so reminded of a story of Jayesh bhai which I had heard some time ago and which Bela wrote down so beautifully:

“Like any other household, at Jayeshbhai’s and Anarben’s home, when guests would come over they would serve them tea. But at some point they asked why should that be limited to just their friends and acquaintances? So one day Jayeshbhai goes out into a busy public area, asking passers-by, “Would you like to come to our home and have tea?” And like that Jayeshbhai began having tea with strangers in his home. One of those strangers was a vegetable seller, who was carrying a huge heavy parcel of vegetables on her head. As they had tea, Jayeshbhai learned that she was very poor and had to walk miles with that parcel every morning to sell her vegetables to be able to earn for her children. Because she was on foot, she would have to leave her home at 4am to get to the market on time. Jayeshbhai asked if she would benefit from having a wooden cart to transport her vegetables, and she said of course. So Jayeshbhai gets one for her. A few months later she comes back to tell him how much the cart has made a difference for her, how much time and effort she saves and how grateful she is. And to top it all off she hands Jayeshbhai Rs.800 to pay him back for the cart! Jayeshbhai is moved by this, but instead of keeping it he asks the woman to bring back someone else she knows who would benefit from having a cart, so they could pay forward. The woman brings back a friend, who then brings a friend of hers, and so on until eventually they had funded 59 carts! And all of it started from a simple but radical cup of tea. It’s a reminder that even a seemingly small act of kindness can lead to powerful ripple effects that we cannot predict.”

What is Being Gandhi? When I speak the truth, am I Gandhi? When I help a stranger on street, am I Gandhi? When I am grateful for the gifts of life, am I Gandhi? When I act with love, am I Gandhi?

I believe, I am Gandhi. I believe, You are Gandhi. I believe, We are Gandhi.

gratiTUBE is a series of short videos – a video that inspired us; a video that brought a smile to our face; a video that filled our heart with warmth and a video that we want to share and multiply the effect it had on us! If you have come across a video that you would like featured here, tell us about it!